CAMPANULA PERSICIFOLIA.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20318, 28 January 1928, Page 3

CAMPANULA PERSICIFOLIA.

Of the bell flowers. Campanula persicifolia and its many varieties are probably the most valuable from the point of view of utility. They are of the easiest culture and suitable for massing in separate beds, or for grouping in borders. They also respond readily to pot cultivation, and are particularly adapted to room and conservatory decoration. The flower spikes, which in the newer varieties grow four feet to five feet high, present a wonderful display of dainfy blossoms ranging through the most delicate shades of palest blue to violet and white. For supplying cut blooms, this Campanula is of exceptional merit, and at least one market grower close to London finds it worth while to grow the well-known variety Telham Beauty by the thousand under field conditions. Although these plants are so adaptable, and will grow almost anywhere, they naturally thrive best when afforded a deep, well-cultivated loam in a sunny position, and respond readily to annual top-dressings of stable manure. Frequent division of the roots is necessary to keep up the vitality of the stock, and by this means a plentiful supply of young plants may be obtained each autumn. When the varieties Telham Beauty and Fleur de Neige were introduced a few years ago, they represented a great advance on the type, yet several wellknown hybridists have succeeded in evolving a new race far advance of even these two excellent varieties. The following sorts were noted_ during the past summer as being particularly fine Queen of June, tall and rigid in growth, producing dozens of pure white bells: Fairie Queen, a dainty variety with large, greyish bells: and Everest, with soft blue flowers produced on muchr branched spikes. ■ There are also one or two cup-ann-saucer ” varieties w T hich are exceedingly attractive, and of these I would strongly recommend The King, rich deep blue, inclined to violet; and Crescent, the purest, and most free-flowering white sort.— E.K.» i n the Gardeners’ Chronicle.